A heartening feature of health care in India is how life expectancy has increased — from 32 years in 1947 to 68 years today. However, this has resulted in newer health challenges, notably cancer and dementia. Dementia refers to deterioration in a person’s mental faculties and is serious enough to …
Read More »Daily Archives: September 30, 2018
Trial touts dramatic benefits
Omega-3 fatty acid found to help treat cardiovascular events Cardiologists may one day have a new tool to help prevent heart attacks and strokes in some high-risk patients: a prescription drug that contains large doses of EPA, an omega-3 fatty acid contained in fish oil. A large clinical trial found …
Read More »The Great Indian Male
An airline has a separate seating policy for this sub-species of homo sapiens When I first arrived on this planet as an Indian male all those years ago, I never imagined that one day I would become a personal embodiment of a global embarrassment. Please don’t think I am exaggerating; …
Read More »The garden opposite the Taj
Imagining the Mahtab Bagh as it was supposed to be The most visited monument in India is the Taj Mahal in Agra. Guides and locals tell you stories of Mughal emperor Shah Jahan’s love for his wife, Mumtaz Mahal, when they walk you up to the main chamber housing the …
Read More »The useful disease of English
English needs to be used along with other Indian languages, and vice versa. We will deprive ourselves if we turn this into an ‘either-or’ issue In India, English is like one of those damp squib crackers that tend to explode in your face. Sometimes, the faces are literary, as in …
Read More »No other book can trump the Indian Constitution
People of different faiths must find a fit between their own distinctive way of reaching the ultimate and a common, basic framework for living together A Minister of the West Bengal government, Siddiqullah Chowdhury, reportedly remarked recently that for Muslims, “our holy scripture, the Quran Sharif, is supreme and if …
Read More »An incomplete healing
Inadequate facilities for reconstructive surgery and limited staff are affecting cancer treatment in government hospitals Eight-year-old Syed Farhan from Warangal, Telangana was diagnosed earlier this year with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare type of cancer that occurs in bones or in the soft tissue around the bones. He then underwent six …
Read More »China censors bad economic news amid signs of slower growth
Effect of expanded censorship strategy could more readily cause people to believe rumours about the economy, says professor Zhang Ming of Renmin University China has long made it clear that reporting on politics, civil society and sensitive historical events is forbidden. Increasingly, it wants to keep negative news about the …
Read More »China’s combat aircraft makes debut flight
China’s indigenously-built new multi-role combat aircraft for exports has made its debut flight, state media reported on Saturday. The FTC-2000G, a new multi-role combat aircraft developed for export by the State-owned Aviation Industry Corp of China (AVIC), made its debut flight on Friday in the Guizhou province, state-run China Daily …
Read More »Targeting the voices of dissent
The media in Pakistan is facing a tough time. Last week, the Lahore High Court issued non-bailable arrest warrants against Dawn Assistant Editor Cyril Almeida. The court also ordered the authorities to put Mr. Almeida’s name on the Exit Control List for not appearing before the court. This happened during …
Read More »Two world cups, different hopes
Cricket never takes a break from news in Sri Lanka. Invariably, the game retains headline space all through the year — be it the “big matches” played by high school boys, which is an annual carnival here, or international cricket and the many shades of opinion on it. Last week, …
Read More »The rise of China’s private security firms
China’s relentless drive under its flagship Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) to build factories, railways, and other infrastructure, even in risky global hotspots, is having an unexpected fallout — the rise of a home-grown private security industry. Private security companies (PSCs) have spiralled in response to a string of security …
Read More »Maldives poll body officially declares Solih President-elect
‘Complaints do not affect poll outcome’ The Elections Commission of Maldives on Saturday officially named Ibrahim Mohamed Solih President-elect, about a week after he dislodged incumbent President Abdulla Yameen in a crucial election that saw a near-90% voter turnout. The Commission declaring Mr. Solih winner brought relief to Opposition members …
Read More »‘China will not be blackmailed’
Foreign Minister asks the U.S. to give up pressure tactics, drop Cold War mindset China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged the U.S. to abandon fruitless pressure tactics to resolve the trade row between the two countries. “Regarding trade frictions, China stands for a proper settlement based on rules and …
Read More »Trump orders probe into Kavanaugh
The FBI investigation will be limited in scope and completed in less than one week, says President U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday ordered a new FBI investigation into sexual assault allegations against his Supreme Court pick, as the Senate delayed a vote on Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to make way …
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